Clint McKay of Australia is congratulated by teammates after having Alastair Cook of England caught behind in the first over at the first match of the One-day International Series between Australia and England at the MCG.

One Day cricket has gone from being derided for being too superficial and slap-dash, to now being tarred as too slow relative to its flashier white-ball cousin.

However, the greatest enemy of the format is its own early success. The critique is simple: so many games, so many series, yet more often than not, so little at stake.

The good news is that the imminent World Cup being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand at the back end of next summer means that we now have a major reason to pay attention the series against England.